Law & Order Season 23 Loses Another Main Star In Disappointing Update

Summary Main cast member Camryn Manheim is exiting Law & Order ahead of season 24.

Manheim's last episode as Lieutenant Kate Dixon will air on May 16, which is the season 23 finale.

No details were given about Manheim's exit, but the franchise has always experienced a high turnover in the cast.

The revived Law & Order is losing another main cast member ahead of season 24. The long-running NBC series was revived in September 2022 and brought back in the form of Law & Order season 21, with Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, and Odelya Halevi joining the cast alongside Anthony Anderson and Sam Waterson reprising their roles. But since then, there have been several high-profile changes to Law & Order's cast ensemble.

According to Variety, the latest change comes as Manheim is set to exit the police drama ahead of Law & Order season 24. The Emmy-winning actor plays Lieutenant Kate Dixon and will be making her last appearance in the upcoming May 16 finale. Franchise creator Dick Wolf thanked Manheim, who has a long history with the original Law & Order, making three guest appearances in the 1990s as three different characters. Read Wolf's statement below:

“I thank Camryn for her three wonderful seasons helping us relaunch Law & Order. She is a class act, and I wish her nothing but the best for her next chapter.”

Law & Order's Recent Cast Exits Explained

The Franchise Has Always Been A Revolving Door.

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A reason for Manheim's exit was not mentioned, and it's unclear if the upcoming Law & Order season 23 finale will address her character's departure in any way.

A reason for Manheim's exit was not mentioned, and it's unclear if the upcoming Law & Order season 23 finale will address her character's departure in any way. But the revival of Law & Order has continued the original's spirit of featuring a fair amount of turnaround in a short time. Anthony Anderson reprised the role of NYPD Detective Kevin Bernand for just one season, although he had indicated that his return was going to be brief. His character would be replaced by Mehcad Brooks, as NYPD Detective Jalen Shaw, and he has been with the NBC show since season 22.

Jeffrey Donovan played NYPD Detective Frank Cosgrove in the first two seasons of the revival before exiting due to creative differences. The character's departure was briefly addressed in Law & Order season 23. Cosgrove is replaced by Detective Vincent Riley (played by Veep star Reid Scott), and Riley asks what happened to Shaw's last partner. Shaw replies cryptically, suggesting Cosgrove was fired for being too honest.

Related Why Jeffrey Donovan Left Law & Order (& How The Show Handled It) Although a main character in Law & Order from 2022 to 2023, Jeffrey Donovan suddenly left the show in 2023, thus making many question what happened.

The biggest departure, however, occurred when Law & Order vet Sam Waterson left earlier in season 23 after more than 400 episodes overall as Jack McCoy. McCoy's position as District Attorney is ultimately filled by Nicholas Baxter (Scandal star Tony Goldwyn), and it's explained that McCoy resigns in protest after a high-profile case. McCoy does this to protect his staff from a vindictive New York mayor. Therefore, Manheim's exit fits an established trend for the show.

Law & Order season 23 airs Thursdays at 8 PM ET on NBC and streams on Peacock.

Source: Variety